Alex gained 5 billion experience from killing the [Assassin of Dusk], but unfortunately he won’t be able to get them yet.
By the way, do note that the experience gained while doing your [Advancement Task] is not lost, it’s just stored.
The moment he cleared it, he would gain everything back, which meant a massive boost in levels.
“Let’s go!” Alice said, “If you clear it faster, then the reward you get will be better, right?”
“True,” Alex nodded, determination etched on his face.
The trio entered the [Exit Pillar], disappearing if a flash of blue light as they were transported up.
The glowing blue light from the [Exit Pillar] faded, and Alex felt his feet sink slightly into soft, loose ground.
The warmth of the sun beat down harshly on his skin as his vision adjusted.
A golden expanse stretched out endlessly before him, a vast desert of shifting dunes and jagged stone outcroppings.
The air was thick with heat, and waves of distortion danced across the horizon.
A system prompt appeared before him:
[You have entered the 9th floor: Sands of Tribulation.]
[Objective: Reach the Destiny Room and prepare to face the final challenge.]
Alex exhaled deeply, scanning his surroundings.
The desert was desolate but unnervingly quiet.
The only sounds were the faint whispers of the wind as it carried grains of sand across the dunes.
The occasional silhouette of a cactus-like plant or a weathered boulder broke the monotonous landscape.
“Another scattered floor…” he muttered, “Doesn’t matter, let’s do this quickly.”
He pulled up his world map.
As expected, he could see the small dots that marked Alice and Aurelia’s locations.
They were far apart, both separated from him and each other.
Alex dashed forward, his shoes sinking slightly with every step but his agility making up for the uneven footing.
The searing heat was unrelenting, but Alex didn’t falter.
His focus was on closing the distance between himself and the others.
The seven remaining fox summons that hadn’t been killed were still alive, following him.
The water-type were extremely useful as they allowed him to touch them constantly to feel refreshed.
On the other hand, he ordered the [Fire Foxes] to go forward as to not increase the heat.
He would only need to pass through this floor, and thus reach the end of the [Tower of Destiny].
The map showed Alice was the closest, her dot positioned near what appeared to be a rocky plateau.
He reached her in just under five minutes, climbing over a small rise to find her surrounded by [Sand Wraiths]: monstrous figures of swirling sand and shadow, their hollow faces glowing faintly.
Alice, however, was calm and collected.
Her bow was drawn, her arrows glowing with a silver-blue light.
“Space Arrows,” she said softly, releasing one.
The arrow tore through the air, splitting reality as it carved a path through the nearest wraith.
The creature’s arm disintegrated instantly, and the others backed away, scared by her arrows.
“Need a hand?” Alex called out, sending all of his [All Elements Fox Summons].
The seven ethereal foxes surged, tearing through the remaining wraiths with incredible ease.
Alice lowered her bow and gave him a small smile. “Took you long enough.”
“Let’s find Aurelia,” Alex said, motioning for her to follow as he consulted the map again.
Alex and Alice both knew by how easily the foxes got rid of the [Sand Wraiths] that even the 9th floor would be easy.
Alex had wanted to make sure of it, but now it was confirmed: he was strong enough to kill level 1,000 monsters.
“And so with this,” he clenched his fists, his smile widening, “I’m stronger than I was in my previous life.”
No matter what, from now on, he would dive into power unknown to the old him.
But even then, Alex vowed to not lose himself, and to keep killing every single one of his enemies until the last of them disappeared.
He decided the moment since he re-appeared in this world that he would kill all the gods and entities that threatened humanity before they could even descend.
“Alex?” Alice brought him back to reality, “Let’s go!”
Seeing the girl’s smile, Alex eased up a little, “Yeah.”
The trek to Aurelia was longer.
Her dot was located on the far edge of the map near a cluster of ancient ruins half-buried in the sand.
As they approached, Alex could see her perched atop a crumbled pillar, daggers in hand, fending off a massive sand serpent.
The creature was at least 20 meters long, its scales glittering like gold under the sun. Read the latest on empire
Its eyes glowed an eerie green, and its fangs dripped with venom that hissed as it hit the sand.
Aurelia was a blur of motion, her daggers moving like extensions of herself.
She leapt and twisted, dodging the serpent’s lunges while slicing at its body.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
-5,738,371! -5,738,371! -5,738,371!
An incredible amount of damage, fruit of her training, new skills and also increased attributes.
“Foxes, go!” Alex commanded again, and the summoned foxes sprang into action.
The fire foxes scorched the serpent’s tail, while the light foxes blinded it with radiant bursts.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Aurelia plunged both daggers into the serpent’s neck, twisting them with precision.
The creature let out a deafening hiss before collapsing into the sand.
[You have slain “Scorching Serpent” and gained 600,000,000 experience points.]
“Nice timing,” Aurelia said, hopping down from the pillar.
“Let’s go faster from there, I really want to see the final boss of the tower,” Alice excitedly said.
“Yeah,” Alex nodded.
As they made their way through the desert, the trio encountered more of the sand wraiths, along with other strange creatures:
Level 950 Sand Stalkers: Four-legged beasts with crystalline claws that slashed through stone like paper.
Level 960 Dune Golems: Massive constructs of rock and sand, their bodies almost impervious to physical attacks, except for [Bleeding Claws], which pierced through them easily.
The fox summons took point, their combined elemental powers making quick work of most enemies.
Alice’s [Blade Arrows] pierced through the Sand Stalkers with ease, while Aurelia’s free-floating daggers danced in deadly arcs, slicing through the Dune Golems’ cores.
Most common mobs at level 900-1,000 only had around 100,000,000 health points, meaning that Alex could easily kill them.
No one could truly understand how powerful [Bleeding Claws] was.
With the right stats, even 1,500 monsters could fall in around 30 strikes of his claws, and believe me when I say that this is not a lot.
[Extraction activated: +73 Strength, +18 Vitality, +39 Spirit, +37 Agility, +5 Sand Core (Epic)]
And so yet again, just like all the previous times; they met the [Floor Boss] as they closed in on the exit of the ninth floor.
The Sand Reaver erupted from beneath the dunes without warning, a monstrous centipede-like creature with jagged, golden exoskeleton armor and glowing red eyes.
Its body was over 50 meters long, segmented with razor-sharp spines that churned up the sand around it.
[Level 990 Sand Reaver – Floor 9 Boss]
[HP: 800,000,000]
“Let’s do this!” Alex grinned, not scared in the slightest.